After a lengthy trial he was convicted of 28 of the offences and Hitchen, who had been on bail, was remanded in custody to await sentence on October 17.

He was cleared of a rape charge, causing a child to look at an image of sexual activity and two charges of sexually assaulting a ninth alleged victim.

A Liverpool Crown Court jury heard during the trial that the physical and sexual violence came to light after one of his victims told police of her ordeal at his hands and an investigation “revealed she was not alone in making such allegations” against him.

The jury was told that many of the offences occurred while Hitchen lived in Gantley Avenue, Billinge with his grandmother, to whom he was “domineering and aggressive”.

When she heard some of his abusive behaviour and told him to desist was herself threatened.

However, asked about this by his barrister Paul Treble, 35-year-old Hitchen, of Ormskirk Road, Newtown, denied behaving badly towards his grandmother.

He said he had lived with her for seven years and though they had their “ups and downs” he had not mistreated her.

The court has heard that when interviewed Hitchen claimed all the allegations, which spanned eight years by the nine alleged victims - four of whom were children - were malicious inventions and the product of a conspiracy against him.

Alaric Bassano, prosecuting, pointed out to the jury that there was no reason for the complainants to have invented false allegations against him and his contention that they have independently done so “defies common sense”.

He claimed that the children who Hitchen sexually abused were aged between nine and 16. He abused a 13-year-old girl at her father’s home in Worsley Mesnes or when driving her to and from that address while she was in her school uniform.

Love letters to that alleged victim were recovered from his jacket.

He claimed they were forged and had been planted but a handwriting expert confirmed they were written by him and his fingerprints were also on them.

Mr Bassano claimed that Hitchen also twice sexually assaulted her mum leaving that woman feeling disgusted and in tears.

Hitchen also kicked one rape victim while she was pregnant causing her to bleed and after having previously physically assaulted her on other occasions and keeping her locked in his home for a day.

He also sexually assaulted another pregnant woman trying to pull her jeans down but fortunately her sister’s boyfriend arrived and the incident came to an end.

Hitchen denied all the allegations against him. He disputed that he was possessive and jealous and also denied he was “a control freak.”